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Sour Cream Coffee Cake, with a sweet and crunchy streusel topping and a spiced sugar pecan layer in the middle, is the most delicious cinnamon crumb cake recipe you’ll find!
This is the perfect sweet treat to make for entertaining or to bring to a breakfast get-together with friends. The inside of this flavorful cake is super moist! You can make it in an angel food tube pan, a Bundt pan, or a deep 9×13 inch baking dish.
When I was a kid, I never understood why something like a classic crumb cake had the name coffee cake when there was no coffee listed in the ingredients! It was only when I got older and love starting my morning with a hot cup of coffee and a homemade pastry that I finally understood. Coffee cake tastes amazing with a hot cup of coffee!
Why I love this recipe
- Made with simple pantry ingredients
- One of my favorite brunch recipes and perfect for special occasions
- There is a perfect balance of sweetness and spice
- This recipe makes a lot and there’s enough streusel to not fight over a specific piece
What does sour cream do for coffee cake?
Classic sour cream coffee cake is pretty much the best version of the recipe out there. Why? Because sour cream makes it moist and rich.
I recommend using full-fat sour cream instead of reduced-fat sour cream when you make this recipe. Even though there’s butter in the cake, the addition of fat in the sour cream helps to short the gluten strands. This ultimately leads to an incredibly tender cake.
Even though sour cream has a slightly tangy flavor, that part does not come through in the cake.
Ingredients needed to make classic coffee cake
The exact quantities are listed in the recipe card below, but here is a summary.
Pecan filling ingredients
This simple mixture of brown sugar, chopped pecans, and cinnamon or pumpkin pie spice gets mixed together.
Crumb topping ingredients
The streusel mixture that creates those delicious crunchy and moist crumbs on top consists of granulated sugar, salt, all-purpose flour, cinnamon, and butter.
Cake batter ingredients
The cake ingredients include flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, unsalted butter, sugar, room temperature eggs, vanilla extract, and sour cream.
How to make sour cream coffee cake
As with most baking recipes, you’ll need to preheat the oven and grease your pan. This recipe works with a 10-inch tube pan, a large bundt pan, or a deep 9×13-inch casserole dish.
Prepare the streusel topping
You will make the topping by whisking together the sugar, salt, flour, and cinnamon in a medium bowl. The melted butter is added and the mixture is stirred until well combined. You will have various sizes of those cinnamon crumbs.
Mix the batter
To make the cake, whisk together the dry ingredients in a large bowl. In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream together butter and white sugar using the paddle attachment on high speed until light and fluffy. Stir in eggs and vanilla on low speed until combined. Scrape sides down as needed. Beat in the flour mixture alternately with the sour cream. Do not over-mix.
Prepare the cake
Spread 1/3 of the cake batter in the prepared pan. Sprinkle with 1/2 of the filling mixture. Cover with another third of the cake batter, then the remaining filling, and then the remaining batter. Sprinkle the topping mixture over the batter in the pan.
Bake the homemade coffee cake
Set the cake in the preheated oven and bake for 55-60 minutes, or until a toothpick or cake tester inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.
Cut into individual slices and enjoy this sweet cake!
Storage
Any leftover coffee cake can be stored in an airtight container. It’s fine left out at room temperature but will last longer if refrigerated. Individual portions can be cut and wrapped tightly in plastic wrap as well.
Coffee cake also freezes well. Simple store in a freezer bag with any excess air squeezed out.
Cinnamon sugar breakfast treats
If you’re looking for that same great cinnamon sugar flavor, you might want to try these favorite recipes.
- Everyone’s favorite Easy Monkey Bread Recipe – passed down from Granny!
- Homemade Cinnamon Rolls
- Upside Down Cranberry Coffee Cake
- Pumpkin Coffee Cake
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Ingredients
FILLING:
- 1/2 cup brown sugar packed
- 1/2 cups chopped pecans
- 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon or pumpkin pie spice
STREUSEL TOPPING:
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon or pumpkin pie spice
- 6 tablespoons butter melted
CAKE:
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 cup unsalted butter softened
- 1 1/4 cup white sugar
- 3 eggs slightly beaten
- 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 cups sour cream
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350° F. Grease 10-inch angel food tube pan, a bundt pan, or a 9×13 baking dish.
- Prepare the filling: In a small bowl, mix together the brown sugar, chopped pecans, and cinnamon. Set aside.
- Prepare the streusel topping: In a separate bowl, make the topping by whisking together the sugar, salt, flour, and cinnamon. Add the melted butter, stirring until well combined. The mixture will have large crumbs. Set aside.
- Mix the batter: To make the cake, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside. In the bowl of your stand mixer, cream together butter and sugar using the paddle attachment on high speed until light and fluffy. Stir in eggs and vanilla on low speed until combined. Scrape sides down as needed. Beat in the flour mixture alternately with the sour cream. Do not over-mix.
- Prepare the cake: Spread 1/3 of the cake batter in the prepared pan. Sprinkle with 1/2 of the filling mixture. Cover with another third of the cake batter, then the remaining filling, and then the remaining cake batter. Sprinkle the topping mixture over the batter in the pan.
- Bake: Set the cake in the preheated oven and bake for 55-60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Cool in pan for 10 minutes. If using an angel food tube pan, lift the bottom out of pan (remove sides) to allow the cake to finish cooling. Once completely cool, you can loosen the cake from the center and bottom with a knife and then use a couple spatulas to lift the cake off of the cake pan bottom and transfer to a platter. If using a 9×13" baking dish, the cake can remain in the dish.
- Best if served the same or very next day. Store in an airtight container.
Notes
Storage
Any leftover coffee cake can be stored in an airtight container. It’s fine left out at room temperature but will last longer if refrigerated. Individual portions can be cut and wrapped tightly in plastic wrap as well. Coffee cake also freezes well. Simple store in a freezer bag with any excess air squeezed out.Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
This recipe was originally published in November 2017 and has been updated with helpful information, ingredient and process photos, as well as recipe tips. Don’t worry – the recipe hasn’t changed!
I just read that I shouldn’t use a Bundt cake pan, but just put mine in the oven. Details about that are confusing.
I’ve made it both ways and it turned out great either way. Did you have any issues with the recipe turning out?
Do you think a springform pan will work?
It might be too much batter for a springform pan. Maybe split it into two batches? I would also set it on a baking sheet incase it leaks.
I added chocolate chips to the filling. Also I used a Bundt pan and it came out fine. You just have to be careful. I greased the pan with butter making sure all the crevices got greased. Also I made it with a hand mixer and did not sift. It was a big hit with my group!
Could I make muffins out of this and if so, how long do you think it should bake?
You could! You would have to decrease the baking time. Not sure how much, but the internal temp needs to be 205°F.
Very moist and was a big hit at office brunch!
CAN THIS BE MADE THE NIGHT BEFORE AND BAKED IN THE MORNING?
No. Because the baking soda and baking powder start to react as soon as they are combined, it needs to be baked immediately. If you’re asking if you can bake it the night before, most certainly YES.
My Mom made one like this when I was growing up.I will use yours this weekend. Thanks for the memories!
I just took this out of the oven. I can tell right away that the topping is going to just fall off. I did press it way down into the batter before cooking. It’s still just laying on top. Will fall off when I cut it.
Some of it will and it’s unavoidable. I just smash the coffee cake bites onto the crumbs before I shove it into my mouth!
Can I freeze it
Yep!
Can I use bread flour instead of all-purpose? Also, how many chopped nuts should I incorporate? Maybe I missed something, but I didn’t see nuts in the recipe.
Bread flour should work. Bread flour is higher in protein and produces higher amounts of gluten. I don’t think that would hurt the coffee cake, but I have never made it with bread flour. The recipe uses 1/2 cup pecans in the filling but you can use a different nut if you want.
I think I used the wrong kind of pan. I used a Bundt cake pan and in the directions for how it says to take the cake out… yea no… you can’t just lift the bottom out in a Bundt cake pan… so now I have to serve it in the pan itself…
I’m super sorry about that! I took that line out in the post. The recipe called for the right kind of pan – angel food with removeable bottom. I’ve also made this in a 9×13 baking dish. Hope you still liked it!
Boy this looks like a beauty, and one that I’m looking forward to making.